IT would appear there is only one thing that can make Arsene Wenger lose his usual cool during the midst of a Premiership campaign - a visit to the Reebok Stadium.

IT would appear there is only one thing that can make Arsene Wenger lose his usual cool during the midst of a Premiership campaign - a visit to the Reebok Stadium.

Normally calmness personified, when Wenger brings his Arsenal side to Bolton it can almost be guaranteed that his mask will slip and he will resort to the kind of touchline histrionics used by the more excitable foreign coaches.

One of the most striking images of last season came when television cameras captured Wenger frantically loosening his tie - and loosing his cool - after Arsenal let slip a two-goal lead and ultimately blew their chance of retaining the title.

No fear

It was a similar story at the weekend. Under the cosh for the majority of the 90 pulsating minutes, Wenger gesticulated, bellowed and anxiously paced the technical area as Arsenal managed to cling on for a 1-1 draw.

Contrast that with Sam Allardyce, who watched the game with the self-assurance of a man who knows his side is playing without fear and has designs of establishing itself in the top 10.

Arsenal may be a Champions League outfit, but at the Reebok they faced a Bolton team that is laced with Champions League talent and is quickly losing any inferiority complex it may have had. Talk of just staying in the division has been banished.

Inspired

Stretching a superb run of form to just one defeat in the last 10 matches and inspired by the wonderfully gifted artists Jay Jay Okocha and Youri Djorkaeff, the Carling Cup semi-finalists' season is quickly assuming fairytale status.

"If someone had told me that after we had lost at Fulham I would be standing with a big grin on my face after playing Arsenal, I'd have said people were joking me," said Allardyce, with a warm smile that was a contrast to a filthy afternoon.

"But such are the ups and downs of football. Some people are even saying that we deserved to beat Arsenal. It is great credit to the players, and shows how far they have come in a short space of time."

This display was yet another step up on those in recent weeks. While victory at Chelsea was achieved thanks to some magnificent defending, attacking flair - executed with pace and power - was the main characteristic against Arsenal. A three-pronged attack of Djorkaeff and the two Kevins - Davies and Nolan - set about a Gunners rearguard that looked increasingly vulnerable, particularly with the maladroit Pascal Cygan alongside Sol Campbell.

"Had it not been for their goalkeeper (Jens Lehmann), we would have gone in leading," said Allardyce, who picked out a fingertip save from Nolan as being the best of the bunch.

Improvement

If there is room for improvement in Bolton's play, it is in the art of finishing. A return of 17 goals in as many games is slightly worrying and once again they were almost made to pay for missed chances just as they had been at Fulham.

Controversy surrounded Robert Pires' 56th minute opener, as many felt - Allardyce and his players included - Dennis Bergkamp appeared to foul Ricardo Gardner in the build-up.

Unfortunately, though, this was just one of the many incidents Graham Poll called incorrectly in what was a poor exhibition of refereeing. So incensed were the Bolton players with his decision, Nolan received a yellow card for his protests.

But roared on by a record 28,003 crowd, Bolton came thundering back and richly deserved the goal that came their way. Henrik Pedersen drilled Davies' knockdown past Lehmann superbly following Emerson Thome's long ball.

Before that, Okocha struck a post with a brilliantly disguised free kick and both Davies and Djorkaeff had tested the Arsenal keeper from distance.

"You are never going to get that many chances against Arsenal but we did as well as we could to get as many chances as we did," said Allardyce. "But the lads are very fit and are able to cope with the pressures of the games over Christmas.

"Everyone is playing on top of their game and that is because of the confidence. Confidence is everything in football and the quality of our performance was good from the very first minute. We are enjoying the run."